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PART ONE – Lando NORRIS
(McLaren), Charles LECLERC (Ferrari), Gabriel BORTOLETO (Audi)
Q: Q: Let’s start with the
local hero and the man in the news as of yesterday. Charles, many
congratulations on the new contract. Can you tell us why you wanted to
extend with Ferrari and why now?
Charles LECLERC: I mean, why now?
It’s not that I had a timeline in my head. But why? I mean, it was very
clear. I mean, I love the team. I think that’s pretty obvious from the
outside. It’s been eight years with the Formula 1 team, 10 years with
Ferrari as a whole. They’ve been one of the first people to believe in me
and to help me to get to where I am today, and I believe in the project most
of all. I think with Fred we have a very good relationship, and I strongly
believe that he is the person that will be able to bring Ferrari back to the
top. It’s been a good start to the season, obviously not as good as what we
would want, because we want to target the World Championship, but there’s
been a lot of innovation on the car. I mean, we know where we are lacking
and that’s probably more the engine side. We’ve got a plan coming up and
hopefully it will help us to get back to where we want to be. But why? It’s
because I love this team and because I believe in the project, and for these
two reasons, yeah, that’s why we continue together.
Q: And Charles,
what about this season? You talk about the plan. Do you think you can still
challenge for the World Championship in 2026?
CL: I think it’s very
difficult to predict because things can change and swing one way or the
other very quickly, especially so early on with those regulations. So, it’s
probably too early to say, but I see a lot of motivation and everybody’s
pushing extremely hard back at the factory to try and make sure that we come
back closer to Mercedes. So that’s a goal, then we’ll see whether we achieve
it or not.
Q: Well, a win would help, and the man on your right
thinks you’re favourite for the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend. Do you agree
with him?
CL: No. I think we are in a better place. I mean, if
there’s one track I would bet on us, it’s probably Monaco. However, I still
believe that Mercedes have had a significant advantage since the beginning
of the year, so I think they will be very strong. I think McLaren will be
very strong as well. I think Red Bull will be very strong. But it’s true
that on the other tracks so far, we’ve been struggling quite a bit on the
straights, which should be less of a problem. We have a strong package
chassis-wise and aero-wise, so I think it could help us. But Mercedes, I
think, will still remain the team to beat.
Q: OK. Good luck this
weekend. Congrats on the new contract. Thank you. Lando, let’s come to you
now. Last year’s winner. Just how confident are you of repeating that feat
this time?
Lando NORRIS: Well, I think our run into this weekend this
time last year was probably a little bit better than we’ve had this year, so
maybe not quite to the level it was last season. But I think we’re
optimistic. We still want to come in with hopes of trying to achieve a pole
and trying to achieve a win. That’s still the goals we want to set
ourselves. But Ferrari and Mercedes have obviously been very strong,
Mercedes even more so, so we’re getting ahead of ourselves. We don’t want to
be too optimistic, but at the same time we want to come into our weekends at
the minute, I think we’ve given ourselves the chance to come into weekends
with the belief that it is possible. That’s the way we want to stay for now.
Q: And when you look at your car’s characteristics, do you think the
nature of Monaco will suit it?
LN: It’s just so tough to say. I
think, you know, we were closer to pole this year in Montreal than we were
last time in Montreal, when we had a more dominant car. We went on to win in
a similar characteristic of track – slow speeds, low grip track – that we
have here. So, you know, when you just think of those things, it kind of
gives us confidence. When you think of various other things, like just our
general performance this year, less so. But we also know where we stand
comparing to the other cars, where they’re fast, where they’re not. It’s
true that the Ferraris are not the quickest on the straights, but that’s
also because they have a lot of downforce and a lot of drag, so it’s kind of
their own punishment they give themselves, which gives them some advantage.
That advantage will definitely show this weekend.
Q: OK. And final
one from me, Lando. It’s McLaren’s 1,000th race, only the second team to
reach that milestone. You’ve done the most starts of any driver for McLaren.
Just how proud are you of the part you’ve played in the team’s history?
LN: Very. Yeah, I mean, my dream was to be in F1, in the beginning was
to be with McLaren. I don’t think at any point I ever thought I’d be the
driver in McLaren with the most race starts for them. That’s a pretty
awesome stat to think of. To be honest, normally I hate stats in general and
I hate when people say them, but this is one that I’m just proud of, for
sure. It’s not like a performance stat, it’s just more like a general one,
and that’s something, you know, just to see my name alongside so many
greats. One championship is pretty amazing, but a lot of others and a lot of
the people that everyone knows and remembers achieved a lot more. I
certainly want to get to the level that they did, but for my name to be
amongst some incredible drivers in the past is an amazing thing. For me to
play a small part in helping McLaren go from where they were a few years
ago, which is where no one wants to see McLaren, to where we are now, it’s
been an incredible journey that I’ve been very lucky to be part of. Yeah,
I’m a lucky boy and I’ll be here for many more years at the same time,
trying to keep McLaren in the position that they are now, which is winning
Constructors’ Championships, winning championships for drivers. Yeah, how
lucky I’ve been to be part of that journey and I hope that it continues for
many more years.
Q: Lando, thank you for that. Best of luck this
weekend. Gabriel, let’s come to you now. Your second Monaco Grand Prix. Just
what opportunities do you think the streets of the Principality will present
you and Audi?
Gabriel BORTOLETO: I think it can be a good weekend for
us. Obviously, a lot of work to be done still, especially on driveability.
That’s, I think, a point we have suffered a little bit this year. But I
think, you know, we have shown that chassis-wise we are not in a bad place
and that we are competitive. Most of qualis we have been fighting to go
inside of Q3 or have been in Q3, and then in the races, you know, it’s about
trying to make a good start and then staying there. So, let’s see. I think
Monaco can bring us some good stuff.
Q: And from a driving point of
view, it’s such a unique circuit. Does it require a different approach from
inside the cockpit?
GB: I mean, you drive on the limit basically
everywhere you go, but Monaco, obviously, it’s a very tough street circuit.
You know, the walls are very close, the circuit is very small, so obviously
you need to drive in a different way. If you drive on a track that has a lot
of escape roads and areas in case you make a mistake, here a mistake can
cost you a lap or even, you know, you crash the car. So, for sure you need
to drive a bit differently.
Q: OK. And looking at the year so far,
Gabriel, how would you sum up Audi’s progress?
GB: I mean, first of
all, we need to say that they have done an amazing job on putting the car
where we are now, in the sense like we are fighting for top 10s, and it’s
not said that could happen in the first year of a team that brings a power
unit and a completely new car, and then fighting for points, fighting for
good positions in qualifying. It’s already an amazing thing. Obviously, we
started in Australia with a very good and strong result, going to Q3, P9 in
the race, and then I think all the expectations went quite high. But now we
are building up and trying to, you know, put our baseline in a good place,
and I think we have been able to do that. Last race both cars finished, we
had everything under control, but unfortunately, we didn’t have the pace to
score points. So hopefully this weekend we are able to do something like
that.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports)
Unsurprisingly, a question for you, Charles. Congrats on the new deal. We
can see your loyalty to Ferrari and, sadly for you, the long-term
association with the team has provided you with more winless seasons than
winning seasons. So, what is it about Ferrari’s project that you believe in,
that you think you can be more successful in the future? What assurances
have the team given you?
CL: Mostly Fred. I mean, I’m very on board
with his vision and, yeah, I really believe in Fred. Obviously, it’s the
first car that he projected together with the team. Obviously, we are seeing
lots of innovation on our car and we have a long-term vision. I mean, not
too long, because obviously we all want to win as quickly as possible, but,
yeah, as soon as possible to be back on top. I’m on board with this vision
and I believe in this vision, so, yeah, that’s what makes me believe about
this project more than ever.
Q: (Rosanna Tennant – BBC Radio 5 Live)
Charles, congratulations on the extension, but have you been able to add any
conditions to the contract in terms of the timeline for achieving your goal
of winning the World Championship? Because you talk about the love for the
team. Surely that love can’t sustain you forever and surely your desire to
win is greater than your love for the team?
CL: My love for the team
is very big, but, of course, as you said, winning is important for every
driver and it’s what we race for. But winning in red for me has got a very
unique feeling and something that I’ve dedicated all the years so far in
Formula 1 to try and achieve. We didn’t manage to achieve that yet, at least
on a full season. I cannot go too much into the detail of contract, so I
cannot comment unfortunately on the main question, but surely it’s part of
those discussions.
Q: (Mara Sangiorgio – Sky Sports Italy) A question
to Charles. You were talking about the reasons behind your renewal: love and
trust. Will you end your career at Ferrari?
CL: I’m still very young.
I mean, I’m 28, so I have many years ahead of me. But as I’ve said, at the
moment this is what feels right for me and this is where I want to put all
my focus, in trying to win with the team I love, that believed in me, that
gave me the chance to be where I am today. And that’s what felt right for
me. And then for the future we’ll see. Obviously, I don’t know what will
life look like in five or six or seven or 10 years’ time, but it’s not the
moment either to think about it.
Q: (Mahlambi Nqobile – SuperSport)
Charles, congratulations on your extension. I wanted to ask you, Monaco is
often associated with opulence, glamour, but also there’s a rich culture and
a sense of community here. I know some of the drivers obviously also live
here, but as a person who calls it home, what do you love sharing the most
about Monaco when it comes to your fans and the people who come here for
Grand Prix weekend?
CL: For me, there are two different types of
Monaco. There’s Monaco during the race weekends and Monaco outside of it.
Being born here, having grown up here in Monaco, it’s very special. It feels
a bit like a village. I’ve got all my childhood friends, all my family, who
are Monegasque born. And, yeah, I just love it. But I think the fact that
it’s a lot more intimate than what people think when they come for the Grand
Prix is the Monaco I prefer.
Q: (Rosanna Tennant – BBC Radio 5 Live)
Charles, were there any other options on the table when you put pen to paper
this time around?
CL: There were, yes.
Q: (Rosanna Tennant –
BBC Radio 5 Live) Can you tell us who, please?
CL: No, I’m not going
to say who. But they can say it if they want, but for me Ferrari was always
the choice.
Q: (Nicholas Frankl – Forza Magazine) Gabriel, I don’t
know, are you a resident in Monaco yet?
GB: Yes, I am.
Q:
(Nicholas Frankl – Forza Magazine) So, all three of you get to go home and
put on the kettle once a year in the season. It’s a very different
environment than normal. Can you just talk about that a little bit?
GB: I mean, it’s great to, you know, finish the day on track and then be
able to go back home, have dinner at your place and, I don’t know, enjoy
with family. In this case my brother and my mother are here, so it’s also
good. Everyone is staying at my house. So, yeah, it’s a great thing for me.
Also in Brazil, you know, when I stay there sometimes I stay at my place, at
my parents’ place, and it’s always a good thing to be. I prefer that at
least to staying in the hotels.
Q: (Vincent Sondermeijer – NRC
Handelsblad) Another one for Charles. I was curious if you could give us
some insights in your approach to arguably the most spectacular corner in
the track, the first Swimming Pool chicane. What are your references? Where
do you aim the car? Is it something you have to build up to during the
weekend?
CL: I feel like I’m doing an interview for you guys. I don’t
want to give too much away because they’ll be listening to all the tips. But
actually, I mean, the first Swimming Pool, so far with the cars we’ve had,
it’s flat out, so that’s kind of easy. I mean, the first lap maybe you don’t
do flat out; the second lap you go flat out. But with these cars it will be
interesting. There’s quite a lot less downforce. I think it will become
probably a proper corner again, maybe in the first part of the weekend. I
believe that later on in the weekend we will end up flat out. But it’s quite
a tricky one if it starts to become on the limit, mostly because you are
blinded until you get to the apex, basically. You don’t see anything after
that, and that’s the exciting part of this corner. However, so far it’s true
that it was easy flat, so that wasn’t too much of a challenge.
Q:
(Harry Benjamin – BBC Radio 5 Live) Question for Charles. Coming into the
last couple of races, Lewis has been talking about his preparations and how
he’s not going to carry on using the simulator at Ferrari, even though he
said it’s pretty good. What are your opinions of it and how does that affect
your prep?
CL: It doesn’t affect my preparation at all. At the end, I
think we all have our preferences. For me, the simulator has been working
very well. This is what I’ve done arriving in Formula 1. I’m not going to
change that because it’s been a very powerful tool for me in the past. Also,
very often we do changes on the car based on what we try on the simulator
back at home, so it’s part of the developing process of the car. Yeah, it
worked for me, so I’ll keep going there.
Q: (Leonid Kliuev –
GrandePremio.com.br) Question for all three. It’s going to be 20 cars on
track, especially in Q1. How challenging is it going to be?
LN:
Probably pretty [challenging]. I mean, well, I have three in a practice
session with a lot more cars on track. It’ll be tough. It’s already been
tough in previous years with people not getting out of the way in the right
places and things. It’s tricky. The thing is when you do split it up into
other sessions, you have two sessions, someone’s always going to be unhappy
because you’re either going to be the first group and complain about the
second group, or vice versa. So, I think you get more people complaining in
some essence if you split it up into two different sessions. At the same
time, if people just actually look in the mirrors and use the radio for the
reasons it should be used for, which is to give the drivers information
about people on quick laps, I think it should be fine. But people don’t seem
to do that very often…. Remember a couple of years ago?
CL: Me? Oh
yeah, I took a penalty, right? Ha!
LN: So, I don’t think it’s going
to be terrible, but only if people get out of the way in the correct places
and things like that. As soon as people try and take the mick with things,
then it starts to become a big problem.
CL: I think it’s a problem. I
mean, 22 cars on such a short track I think will be quite tricky, especially
because with these cars, I mean, a bit less now, still whenever you are like
three, four seconds on tracks like this, you lose a bit of time. So it’s
going to be tricky, but it’s the same for everybody and we’ll have to adapt
to it. But it’s not ideal for Q1, I think.
GB: Lando said it all for
me. If people look at the mirrors and listen to the radio and good
communication, you can get away with 22 cars on track. F3 it’s 30 cars.
FRECA a few years ago it was 37 in FP, so it was much worse in other series.
I think we can get away with it.
Q: (Jack Smith – Motorsport Monday)
A question for Lando and for Gabriel. You were both at the Monaco E-Prix a
couple of weeks ago. I just wanted to get your opinion on whether you guys
all had a collective opinion on the Gen4 car and whether it was something
that you’d be tempted to look at at some point, because it’s a very exciting
step up.
LN: I just like driving other cars in general, to be honest.
I like driving, I like cars, I like bikes at the same time, but sadly I’m
not allowed to do that. So, I will try all cars, you know, I’ve enjoyed
driving F2, F3, rally cars. I still drive a lot of cars now, drive race cars
on Mondays, so as long as I don’t tell Zak and the team, then I get away
with a lot of things. So that’s fine. I like to drive all cars. If that
includes that, then we’ll see in the future.
GB: Yeah, I mean, I got
to F1 now, so I just want to focus here and do my job. I still have so much
to do better here and improve. I don’t think I should take my focus away of
Formula 1, even if, you know, I also love driving other cars. But I think my
focus should be only here. Lando already won the world title so he can do
all these things, not for me.
CL: The last generation of Formula E
cars, I’m not so aware about all the latest changes. Of course I’ve seen the
cars. It seems to be producing more downforce, which is, I think, good for
the series. But apart from that, yeah, I’m also a bit of the opinion of
Gabriel and focusing on Formula 1 as of now for me is enough.
Q:
(Fergal Walsh – RacingNews365.com) Just to come back on the qualifying and
the traffic issue, would you be open to the possibility of splitting into
groups like they do in F2 and F3? Is that something that you guys think
would work in F1? Lando, you touched on that earlier. Charles, what do you
think on that?
CL: I mean, not just for Q1. After that is fine, I
think. But for Q1, why not? I don’t know. I have never been a big fan of
splitting the groups. You know, I think when you are fighting in the front,
maybe it doesn’t make a really big difference for you, but the way you split
the groups, how you put each driver in a different group, it’s complicated.
It can affect a lot your qualifying if you are fighting to get away with Q1
and going to Q2. Yeah, I still prefer when everyone is on track together,
same track conditions, and see who is faster.
PART TWO – Max
VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing), Alex ALBON (Williams), Esteban OCON (Haas)
Q: Welcome back everybody to Monaco for part two of our drivers’ press
conference. From left to right, Max Verstappen, Alex Albon and Esteban Ocon.
A very warm welcome to you all. Max, two-time winner here. Why don’t we
start with you? Red Bull got its first F1 podium at Monaco 20 years ago.
What chance of a repeat this weekend?
Max VERSTAPPEN: Let’s see. I mean,
I don’t know. It will depend on a lot of things. I don’t know how the car is
going to feel tomorrow, so… Monaco can always give you some surprises. But
realistically from my side, we’ve been OK in the low speed, but at the same
time here you need to be good on the bumps and the kerbs, which is where
we’re not that great. So, yeah, we’ll have to see how it will evolve
throughout the weekend.
Q: You just mentioned the ride. I was going
to say, you know, the car has been a lot more competitive at the last couple
of races. In what areas do you still need to improve? Is it the ride?
MV:
I mean, you want to improve in every area. We want more grip, you want more
power, you want better braking efficiency, you want the tyres to operate in
a better window. So, in that sense, you want to be better everywhere. But
yeah, I think looking at Montreal, we’re definitely lacking on the straight.
But also, yeah, in the corners, I think, yeah, the ride or in general on the
bumps, we were not, let’s say, the best. And, of course, high-speed corners
in other places. Now, of course, here there are no high-speed corners, but
normally has not been our biggest strength yet.
Q: No high-speed
corners here in Monaco, so generally speaking are you excited to drive the
’26 cars here in the Principality? Do you think this is the best version we
will have seen of them?
MV: Maybe. I just think you will see a little bit
better now with the wheels. It’s probably a little bit more agile in the low
speed, but at the same time that comes together with driveability, which
with these cars I feel like took a step back compared to last year’s car.
So, we’ll see.
Q: And are you excited by a Saturday afternoon
qualifying lap in Monaco? Does that still hold the same appeal for you?
MV: I mean, it’s still the highlight, I would say, of the weekend in terms
of where you need to of course perform. So, we’ll of course try to do the
best we can there.
Q: All right, good luck with that, Max. Thank you
very much. Alex, let’s come to you now. You’ve scored points at this race
for the last couple of years. After a difficult start to 2026, does Monaco
offer greater possibilities for you and Williams?
Alex ALBON: Yeah, I
think that, well, there’s no groundhogs in Monaco, so it should be a bit
smoother. But it’s normally a track that we’ve gone OK at. We know the
weight penalty effect is quite low here as well, around Monaco, so it should
come towards us. We’ve also seen, similar to what Max is saying, our car is
mostly more performant in low-speed corners than it is in medium and
high-speed. And then that’s about it really. I’m just excited. I think it
will be a nice track that, you know, I think deployment-wise it’s quite
user-friendly around here, so it will be hopefully an enjoyable weekend.
Q: Can we talk more about the car and how much performance have you
added to it over the course of this season so far?
AA: Well, I think if
you look at Melbourne, we were mostly closer towards the Cadillac and the
Aston than we are now. I think now we’re right at the fringes. I think in
race pace around Montréal, we were actually competitive, maybe only behind
the Alpine. So, we are making steps forward. I think that we’ve brought a
good upgrade package a couple of races ago, and as we know, you know, with
the weight, we’ve just been chipping away at it every race pretty much. It
is coming off, but there’s still some more to do.
Q: I mean, if you
took FW48 back to Bahrain where the pre-season test was, how much faster
would you be now?
AA: I’m not sure. I think we do know, but we’re clearly
going forwards. I mean, I think the fact that we were able to overtake a few
cars in the midfield on Sunday in Montréal, it clearly shows where we are.
Not back to where we were last year, but we’re getting there.
Q:
Alex, final one from me. Can we throw it further forward now, because James
Vowles came out recently with a quote that he wants to see Williams fighting
for World Titles by 2030. Are you aligned with him on that? Do you think
that’s a realistic target?
AA: I think 2030 is, yes. I think that James
is a realistic person. I think he doesn’t try to fluff anything up.
Obviously, we would appreciate if that was a little bit earlier than what it
is. I think we’ve noticed this year that we are a bit further back than
where we want to, and maybe it has set us back a little bit more. But yeah,
I do believe in him when he says that.
Q: OK, Alex, best of luck this
weekend. Thank you for that. Esteban, let’s come to you now. The French
border is only 500 metres from where we’re sat. Does that mean you can treat
it a little bit like a home race?
Esteban OCON: Yeah, more or less, I
would say. I mean, it’s obviously awesome to be racing here. Got a lot of
French supporters, you know, coming to cheer for us and, you know, all the
other French drivers as well. And yeah, it’s always special. You know, it’s
a track that I really enjoy driving in and that I had success in the past.
And I think we probably scored the best result of Haas last year as well,
you know, with the position we finished. So looking forward to driving
around this weekend, see what the car has got for us and enjoy the weekend.
Q: Well, as you say, P7 last year was a great result. Just how confident
are you of another points finish this time around?
EO: Yeah, I mean,
that’s always the target. Of course, we bring, you know, an upgrade package
in Canada. There were still things that, you know, we needed to sort out and
understand. The team has done a lot of work, you know, since Canada during
the week off. And yeah, we will come back here with, you know, a few
different things to try and hopefully get a smooth weekend and, you know,
come out with the best possible result.
Q: And Esteban, when you look
at the overall performance, where do you think you sit in the pecking order
now?
EO: I think it’s difficult to say really. I don’t think Canada was a
great race for us. I think we’ve performed better in some other tracks. I
think it’s a completely different philosophy and technicality here in
Monaco. There’s a lot less on the engine side as well, more low-speed
corners. It’s going to be very interesting to see, you know, how we perform
and if the car can give, you know, more towards this track. And my gut feel
is that it will be much better here than it was in the previous races. So
I’m excited to see what it’s actually going to be in reality.
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports) Question for
you, Alex. Sorry to disturb the conversation. This weekend you moved level
with Nigel Mansell for the most amount of starts for a Williams team in
their history, so congrats on that one. And if you agree with your team
principal that you could be winning titles by 2030, are Williams a team
you’d be happy to stay with for another 95 races?
AA: Is that the
calculation, 95? Or have you just doubled it?
Q: No, 95 races is what
you’ve done for Williams this weekend.
AA: Yeah, I would. For me, it’s
progress. I want to see progress from the team. I feel like we’ve shown that
in the last four years that I’ve been with the team, that every year has
just got better and better. This year we’ve taken maybe a step back in terms
of performance, but do see changes in the team being made, and it all seems
to be going towards the right direction. So I feel like I’ve been a part of
this team since some of the very beginnings of it, even before James, and I
put so much effort and work into it, I would love to see it through.
Q: (Panagiotis Seitanidis – ANT1 TV) A question for all three. When I was a
kid I fell in love with Formula 1 basically because of Monaco, of this
setting here. So I remember the first time I came, the first time I drove in
the streets, now I did a Pirelli hot lap and it was mental. I cannot believe
how you do what you do. So, does it have a special place in your hearts as
well, and do you remember your first time racing here, the feelings, the
excitement?
MV: I mean, Monaco is home for me, so for me that is probably
like outweighs actually the race in general. I mean, I love living here.
It’s really safe, people are very friendly, it’s good for kids. So that
there is a Grand Prix as well, it’s just a bonus, to be honest. Yeah, it’s a
crazy weekend always. So, I enjoy it. You know, it’s a little bit hectic,
but at the same time, yeah, it’s great. Plus, first memory? I mean, probably
my first memory, it’s like I headbutted the guardrail, so that’s probably
not a great memory. But yeah, it’s still very cool to race here, and the
first time that I raced here was in Formula 1. So that was immediately like
a big jump.
Q: Do you remember coming here to watch your dad?
MV:
If so, I don’t remember.
Q: Alex?
AA: Yeah, I would say my first
memory in Formula 1 was 2019, and I remember the adrenaline that was running
through my body at the time was high. I remember finishing FP1 and still
feeling the shakes getting out the car kind of thing. Nowadays it feels like
it’s, I don’t know if we just do more and more street tracks, but it just
feels kind of normal nowadays. I remember last year was maybe the first time
where I felt like I didn’t have that adrenaline rush as much as I did on
previous years. But it is still very special, and I think obviously maybe
the Sundays are what people don’t enjoy about this track, the Saturdays
especially for us, I still don’t think there’s a track that beats getting
the lap together and executing and going out of your comfort zone for that
one or two laps in qualifying. That’s a feeling that I don’t get anywhere
else.
Q: Esteban?
EO: Yeah, I think a little bit like Max, for me
I arrived the first time here was in Formula 1, so it was a massive jump.
And I remember doing a lot of laps in the simulator and trying to get a feel
for everything. I did a lot of street circuits before but never this one.
But driving here in Formula 1 was insane, going up the hill after Turn 1,
just before Turn 3, you can’t see anything up there. Basically, you are
pointing at the sky and it’s super bumpy up there. So I think that was the
biggest shock for me when I first drove around this track. But also how
close you need to get to the walls to go fast. I don’t think there was any
other track, maybe Macau was one of them, where you need to be close to the
wall like this. But you know, like Pau for example in Formula 3, all these
tracks, they were never the same in terms of how much commitment you need to
put in. Yeah, that was quite special.
Q: (Harry Benjamin – BBC Radio
5 Live) Question for Esteban. Esteban, the World Cup kicks off next week and
France are one of the favourites. How are you feeling about their chances
for the World Cup?
Esteban OCON: Yeah, I mean, you know, after the great
final of Champions League, you know, the players from the PSG, of course,
you know, we have a lot of them inside the [French] team. You know, it was
the first great exploit for France, let’s say, because PSG is still, you
know, for me is my main team, is the one that is closest from my home. So it
was, you know, great celebrations all around France. But yeah, I’m looking
forward to see what we can do. Of course, we are the favourites, but you
know, you need to be on the pitch, you need to be playing. And I hope that,
you know, we can be successful and go through the ranks like we did in the
previous one. So I’m excited for it.
Q: (Mahlambi Nqobile –
SuperSport) For Max, how does racing outside of F1 help your performance in
F1 and has it contributed to you getting better in your season?
MV: Well,
I don’t think it hurts the performance. But at the same time, I think as
everyone knows, beginning of the year it’s been a bit tricky for us. But at
the same time I also had this dream that I wanted to race outside of Formula
1, and this was basically the first year where I could do it. So yeah, I
just enjoy also racing in other categories, different cars. And yeah, as
long as you can combine it well with Formula 1, I think it’s a bonus. And
yeah, it’s a thing that I really enjoyed. And then also I think when you
come back to the paddock in Formula 1 with positive feelings, I think it can
only help.
Q: (Mahlambi Nqobile – SuperSport) Is there any other
series you’re considering maybe branching into in the future?
MV: Yes, a
lot of endurance-related stuff for sure.
Q: (Leonid Kliuev –
GrandePremio.com.br) A question for Max. You said that staying with the
current regs next year isn’t mentally doable. With the 40/60 proposal not
really getting traction recently, are you talking with the team about
pushing harder for changes, or are you just waiting for a decision? And
would it be fair to say it should be decided imminently?
MV: I mean, to
be honest, I think these discussions are ongoing. So that’s then not up to
me now. But, you know, I have full belief and trust also on the FIA side,
you know, that they make the right call for motorsport and F1 in general for
the future. So I leave that up to them. I think I’ve said everything that I
wanted to say. And at the same time, I think what already has been very good
this year is that we have been involved in the discussions, and they’ve been
a lot more open. Actually having meetings with them was great. I think
that’s exactly what we need to do also in the future. Then I think this
could have been avoided a little bit. But yes, I think a lot of positive
steps have been taken already this year for the future.
Q: (Zsolt
Godina – F1Vilag.hu) Max, there were a lot of changes within the team last
year. Can you please explain a little bit how the dynamics changed for this
year? How is the environment? How is the communication? And how can Laurent
motivate the team in order to be more competitive?
MV: Yeah, I mean, the
feeling is good in the team. Everyone is working well together, and we all
are heading in the same direction. So, everyone knows what they have to do
and what we want to achieve.
Q: (Rodrigo França – Car Magazine
Brazil) Question to the three of you. Do you think for kids that want to be
in Formula 1, karting is still the best choice, or another category, or sim
races are the best option as they are cheaper?
MV: Yeah, I think in
general we all learned a lot from go-karting. I think it’s still, of course,
a great category. The problem is the prices are just going through the roof.
I mean, people are paying 10k-12k for a round in Minis. I mean, that’s just
insane, these kinds of prices. So, for me it’s more about, yes, the prices
are just going through the roof in go-karting, and that is limiting
sometimes some real talent that do not have the financial backing to even
reach it to formula racing at the moment. That’s why I think it’s important
to also explore just outside of go-karting. Or at least I can see already a
lot of kids that are still go-karting, they are also racing on the
simulator, they are learning to drive in F4 cars or in general GT cars, they
drive anything. And I think you get a very good basic understanding and
preparation before you even head into a race car. Because for me, and I
think for all of us, we did go-karting, there were some sim games out there
but they were not super realistic at the time, and when we jumped in a race
car for the first time there was a big learning curve. Where now, with how
accurate simulators are, you can be already 10 steps ahead in terms of your
preparation before you jump in a formula car. Because you can achieve
already the correct braking curves, you know how to downshift, you know how
to look at the data in general. Yeah, you get a good understanding of the
speed of a car, what a formula car can do. And I think that’s great to see,
that all these young kids already prep so much on the simulator while
they’re still go-karting at the same time.
AA: I think Max said it
very well. I think in a perfect world scenario you would do both, but it’s
more just that karting is looking like it’s not that easy for people to do
both anymore. I’m glad that simulator driving is a route that people can use
now, kids can use to get better and hone their skills. I think there
definitely needs some work to be done to enable people to do karting as
well.
EO: Yeah, I think Max summed it up very well, and it’s fair to
say that if I had to restart my career and being go-kart, it’s as simple as
it is now, I would not be here with the price that, you know, a race in Mini
costs now. You know, it’s quite crazy how expensive it is and, yeah, it’s a
shame that it is that way. Unfortunately, that’s how the world is in motor
sport. But yeah, in the ideal scenario, do both, as Alex said. You drive in
reality but you also drive on the simulator. When I see the level online
that there is, you know, within one tenth you have 100 drivers at times. You
know, even in the best go-kart races, well, some of these drivers never have
access to these races. And even when we were racing then, you know, between
three tenths you had maybe five drivers, but you didn’t have such a level
that you have online. So, I would say yeah, maybe 70% of simulator and 30%
of real go-kart driving is probably the way to go. But yeah, it kills me to
say that because, you know, you need to have the access to the young drivers
to drive real things, you know, at a price which is affordable, and that’s
extremely difficult nowadays. So, yes, it’s tough.
Q: (Jack Smith –
Motorsport Monday) Monaco has faced quite a lot of criticism in the last few
years for the lack of overtaking and entertainment. But do you think that
the criticism is too high and too much, given for decades it’s always had a
unique selling point and that it’s a very unique and challenging track for
the drivers? That’s to all three, sorry.
EO: Sorry, I didn’t listen to
the question. I thought it wasn’t going to be for me.
Q: Do you think
Monaco has unfair criticism about the lack of overtaking?
EO: Yes. I
think it’s, you know, it’s always been there. You know, I was looking at a
video where Lewis was looking at the first Grand Prix in Monaco. Back then
it was the same layout, you know, almost with the changes of the city, of
course. We know how it is here. Been the same forever. You know, it’s never
been easy to pass. When somebody makes a pass, he’s god. When he’s crashing,
he’s a disaster. At least he tried. Yeah, there is a very different way of
approaching the weekend. You need to give it 100% in quali. You always do,
but this time it’s much more important. So I think, yes, I mean, we know how
it is. That’s the beauty of Monaco, full stop. You know, that’s the beauty
of F1. It’s different compromise to how it is usually.
AA: Yeah, I
would agree with Esteban. I think as long as people can see it for what it
is. I think every race does not always have to be about Sunday as well. I
think there’s beauty in the qualifying and the way that the weekends are
building into these Saturdays. I think there still can be some changes made
hopefully in the future to increase the level of overtaking around the
circuit. But like every sport, I think whether it’s tennis tournaments where
they play on different conditions or whatever, there’s always something that
makes an event special. I think, at least for the drivers, we see that on
Saturday. I think that’s what makes Monaco special.
Q: Alex, with
narrower and lighter cars, do you think there will be more overtaking on
Sunday?
AA: Maybe.
MV: I think it’s always been the same, but up
until, what, 15 years ago, you didn’t have social media. So now everyone
with a random phone or laptop is complaining online, where before they could
only vent it themselves at home or to a family member. So, yeah, it’s just
that more people write about it, where before people were just screaming at
home. |
